Rail-joint.



A. BOURRASSA.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.28,1913.

1,1 12,670., Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

ALEXANDER BOURRASSA, OF CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 28, 1913.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914. Serial No. 803,395.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER BOUR- RASSA, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the town of Chicago Heights, n the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of thls specification.

A. number of joints have been devised for the purpose of maintaining rails connected to one another in proper alinement on a road bed, but many of such devices have been impractical owing to complication of parts or due to the expense involved in other ways.

This invention relates to a rail-j oint which is exceedingly simple in operation and con sists of only a few parts, which serve to lock the rail ends rigidly together substantially as a unitary structure, and acting further to reinforce and support the rails at the joint.

It is an object of this invention to construct a rail-joint wherein one wedge member engages beneath the heads of the abutting rails and a second wedge member cooperatively engaging said first member, bears upon the upper surface of the flanges of said rails to tighten each of said wedge members in position between the heads and flanges of said rails.

It is also an important object of my invention to construct a rail oint embracing cooperative wedge members adapted to engage one another between the head and flange of two abutting rails, together with means preventing lateral movement of said wedge members from the rails.

It is also an object of this invention to construct a rail-joint wherein cooperative wedge members are mounted on the inner and outer sides of the webs of two abutting rails with certain of said wedge members engaged beneath and contacting the heads of said rails, and certain other wedge members cooperatively engaged therewith and contacting the flanges of said rails, and with means extending through apertures in the webs of said rails to prevent lateral movement of said first mentioned web members.

It is also an object of this invention to construct a rail-joint in which wedge splice bars are held beneath the heads of abutting rails by bolts extending through apertures 111 the webs of said rails, and with slidable grooved wedge bars adapted to be driven beneath said wedge members to tighten the same against the rails, said latter bars also serving as a lock for the bolts.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to construct a rail-joint wherein cooperative wedge members interfitting with one another are engaged in wedging relation between the heads and flanges of abutting rails and with slots cut in certain of said wedge members to permit engagement thereof over lateral retaining means extending through the web of the rails.

It is finally an object of this invention to construct a simple, durable rail-joint consisting of few parts wherein cooperative wedges act to lock one another in position, so that looseness occasioned by wear may be readily taken up by a few blows upon certain of said wedge members.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the abutting ends of two rails joined together by a device embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. l, with parts in elevation. Fig. 4. is a View similar to Fig. 3, of a modification of my invention. Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. l.

As shown in the drawings the reference numeral 1, indicates a head of a rail which is joined to a base 2, of the rail, as is usual, by means of a web 3. Fig. 1 clearly illus trates two rails abutting one another, and held in position by members constituting my invention. For the purpose of locking the abutting ends of the rails together I provide relatively long wedge members or splice bars at, which are thickened along their upper edge or that engaging beneath the head of the rail, and are tapered along the bottom edge, so that the bar decreases in depth from one end to the other. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, two such splice bars a, are provided, one on each side of the webs of the respective rail ends, and bolts 5, with an adjusting nut 65, thereon, extend through registering apertures in said splice bars and the webs 3, of the rails. Vedge bars 7, are provided to cooperate with said splice bars 4:,

said wedge bars comprising a relatively long bar of metal, having a groove of increasing depth extending longitudinally therein to receive the lower margin 01' said splice bar therein, and on its under face said bar 7, is angled in conformity with the inclination of the app-r surface of the flange of the rail.

In the modification illustrated in ig. 4:, splice bars 8, are provided to close on each side of the respective rails beneath the heads thereot, as before described, but in place oi apertures, said splice bars are provided with slots 9, extending upwardly from the lower edge of the splice bar to about the middle thereor. in this construction a double headed rivet or bolt 10, is used, which extends through an aperture 11, in the web of the rail, said aperture being sutlicient in size to admit insertion of the head of the bolt therethrough. Grooved wedge members 7, are provided as bettore, and of course the varying depth oi? the grooves and the taper of the splice bars permits a 'wedging action between the splice bars and the wedge bars.

The operation is as follows: In connecting the rail ends, shown in Figs. 1, 2, and o, the splice bars l, are set up beneath the heads of the respective rail ends and the bolts 5, inserted therethrough, the wedge bars 7, are then driven inwardly beneath the splice bars with the splice bars fitting in the grooves in the respective wedge bars. The required tightness of the parts is attained by driving the wedge bars inwardly the amount desired, and it is to be noted in this connection that said wedge bars engage beneath the squared heads of the bolts and nuts respectively, thus providing a lock for the nut to prevent loosening thereof. In the construction illustrated in Figs. d and 5, the double headed bolts 10, are first inserted through the apertures in the rail webs and the splice bars are then dropped over the bolts and moved into a position beneath the head of the rail, after which the wedge bars 7, are driven in to tighten the same. It is clear that the stress upon the respective bolts 5, and 10, is not very great, merely an amount suliicient to prevent lateral dis placement of the wedge members as they are driven into engagement with one another, and this is dependent upon the inclination of the top surface of the rail base. lhe engagement of the splice bars and wedge bars with one another between the heads and bases of the rails, owing to the wedging action, allords an exceedingly still joint. Obviously my invention is extremely practical, inasmuch as a track walker inspecting the rails, upon finding a loose joint occasioned by wear, may, with a few blows upon the wedge bar, easily tighten up the joint.

I am aware that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing "from the principles of this invention. 1 therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rail-joint comprising slotted wedge members having bands thereon adapted to be inserted beneath the heads of abutting rails, grooved wedge bars engaging the lower edges of said wedge members and resting upon the flanges of the rails, and means engaging in the slots and extending through apertures in the web of a rail acting to prevent lateral displacement of said wedge members.

2. In a device of the class described cooperative inter-fitting wedge members on gaged between the heads and flanges of abutting rails, certain of said wedge members provided with slots therein and bolts agaging in the slots and extending through the apertures of the web of a rail to prevent lateral displacement 01 said wedge members.

3. In a device of the class described cooperative wedge members engaging between the heads and flanges of abutting rail ends, certain of said members having vertical slots therein and bolts extendin through apertures in the web of the rails and said slotted wedge members to prevent lateral displacement of the latter.

4. In device of the class described c0- operative oppositely disposed wedge mem bers engaged between the heads and flanges of abutting rail ends on the inner and outer side of the rails respectively, certain of said inembe having open slots therein extending from the edge of the wedge member to near the middle thereof and other of said.

members provided with grooves to receive the lower edge of said slotted. members, and a plurality of bolts engaging in the slots and extending through enlarged apertures in the rail web to hold said oppositely disposed slotted wedge members from lateral displacement independently of other connection with the rails, the enlarged apertures in said 'ail web permitting the insertion of the bolt heads therethrough in assembling.

in a device of the class described tapered splice bars having vertically extended slots therein and adapted to engage beneath the heads on each side of a rail, groo ed wedge bars adapted to receive said splice bars therein said bars acting to wedge one another between the heads and flanges of the respective rails, and one piece double headed bolts relcasably connecting the splice bars by engagement in the vertical slots and extending through apertures in the web of a rail.

6. In a device of the class described tapered slotted splice bars adapted to be engaged longitudinally beneath the heads of abutting rail ends, double headed bolts re- In testimony whereof I have hereunto leasably connected to said splice bars by subscribed my name in the presence of tWo engagement in the slots therein, and Wedge subscribing Witnesses.

members adapted to be driven between the ALEXANDER BOURRASSA. tapered edge of said splice bars and the base l/Vitnesses:

of the rail to rigidly engage said splice bars CHARLES W. HILLS, J r.,

and Wedge bars in position. FRANK K. HUDSGN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. i 

